Pet-friendly rental homes are a growing segment of the Greensboro single-family rental home market. Many renters want or already have a pet, so this has prompted many property owners to allow them under certain conditions. Most pet-friendly rentals have a lawn that is designed with a pet’s safety in mind. But, as a matter of fact, some pets, like dogs, may use that lawn as a waste area, which could create unsightly brown spots in an otherwise healthy expanse of green. To help prevent pet urine spots from spoiling your rental home’s lawn, check out and use maybe one or a few of these strategies recommended by lawn care experts.
The reason that dog urine causes grass to turn brown is that it contains a lot of nitrogen. In small amounts, nitrogen is good for your lawn. Although too much in one spot could kill the grass, giving rise to brown patches in the yard. In case your dog tends to urinate in the same places every time, one thing you should do is avoid putting nitrogen-rich fertilizer in those areas. You could be damaging the lawn more with your fertilizer if it has nitrogen in it, so be heedful to either choose a nitrogen-free fertilizer or don’t apply fertilizer to the pet urine spots.
One other effective yet simple strategy is to rinse the lawn when your dog urinates on it. This is a lot easier as long as your dog tends to go to the same places all the time. But even as that is not the instance, spraying the lawn with water would help dilute the urine and prevent it from burning the grass.
In the same vein, some dog owners have found success using encouraging their pets to drink more water or by just giving them supplements designed to neutralize the nitrogen in their urine. The concept behind the first approach is to dilute your dog’s urine by giving them more water. While it’s true that this could work with several dogs, it’s additionally important not to give your dog too much water or they could become ill. The alternative is to try pet-safe supplements designed to help minimize the damage to your lawn. Dietary supplements just like these are believed to bind with the nitrogen in your dog’s urine, causing it to become less harmful to grass.
On the last note, many pet owners have protected their rental home’s lawn from pet urine spots by training their dog to urinate in other areas. In case there are places in the yard that do not have grass, you can train your dog to urinate there. This approach makes sense in the instance that your dog is receptive to consistent training. You could indeed use fencing or a urine-resistant ground cover to create a dog-friendly place for them to pee. A small patch of clover, pea gravel, or even mulch could be all you need to keep your dog from damaging a healthy, green lawn.
While doing research on every potential income property is a lot of work, Real Property Management of the Triad can help lighten your load. We offer free rental property analyses for investors, which can help you more easily identify whether the income property you want to buy is a profitable option. Contact us online or call us at 336-355-6677 or 336-777-7444 to learn more!
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